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ABL Essentials
Running ABL Procedures : Using external and internal procedures : When to use internal and external procedures
 

When to use internal and external procedures

The decision as to when to use a separate external procedure file versus when to make an entry point for an internal procedure in a larger file is largely a matter of style and application organization. It's a good idea to group together in a single procedure file related small procedures that call one another or that are typically called by multiple other procedures. On the other hand, large procedures that perform complex operations on their own should probably be independent external procedure files. Keep in mind that when you need to run an internal procedure, the AVM first needs to load the entire procedure file that contains it, and this can consume excessive memory if you make your procedure files extremely large.